I went 2WD with locker. My previous trucks have all been 2WD, bit I have always owned a 4WD SUV (currently a 4Runner) for my offroad adventures.

I do once in a while take my trucks on fishing trips, etc., so hit forest service roads and such which are usually pretty even terrain, but can have sand, mud, etc. where a 2WD can (and has!) gotten stuck. That's why I went to the locker on my new truck.

I'm actually glad I did 2WD with locker on this one instead of 4WD (I was thinking about it) because I just found one thing that I don't like about the 2016 - it sucks clearance-wise on rough terrain (like moguls). I just got my truck a couple of months ago and decided to take it on a "break-in trip" a couple of weeks ago. I went fishing in Utah and Idaho. While in the Fishlake area of Utah, I went down a dirt road where I saw other vehicles, including a couple of cars go. I hit an area of the road with a bunch of deeper ruts that probably developed when the road was wet and muddy. I carefully negotiated it, and bam - bottomed out on the front bumper. No damage and not hard enough to get stuck, but scraped up that plastic "spoiler" or whatever that hangs off the bumper.

I was able to negotiate through it, but it's when I realized that the 2016 body has a really crappy angle of attack. I think my previous 2008 F-250 would have made that with no problem (and I was probably driving like I was still in that one, which I took down the same kind of roads lots of times).

I realized though, that whether angle of attack, wheelbase (Supercab XLT w/ 6.5' bed) or a combination of both, the truck does not seem to be as "rough road ready", at least clearance-wise, as my previous trucks. For me it's okay since I have the 4Runner for actual 4-wheeling. I live on a farm so the locker can come in handy on the roads here in the Winter when it's wet and muddy. I don't live in the frozen North, but do go where it snows once in a while and I think the locker will be fine for that occasional use.

Long story longer though, given the clearance issues, I'm glad I didn't spring for 4WD for my situation. If it was my only vehicle and I wanted 4WD, I might look at the FX trucks - maybe they have better angles of attack and departure? Or if you want the 4WD for snow, etc., but don't plan on running trails, I think it's fine.

Otherwise I'm absolutely not knocking the truck. Other than that offroad instance, I loved driving the thing over the 2500 mile trip. Over long driving days, I found the seat and ergonomics more comfortable than my previous trucks, and I think maybe even more comfortable on the road than my 2014 4Runner. the 2.7 performed like a champ, and there were a few times where I was getting a 600 mile range out of the standard tank, so super happy with fuel economy.

 

If you use a truck like a commuter passenger sedan, 4X2 is likely fine. BUT, if you use it like a truck then 4X4 is almost required. Pulling my trailer to my buddies race shop, I need to put my truck in 4WD to get down his sandy drive. Local drag strips have some soft soil and 4WD is often needed to back up on the return roads after the truck and trailer have sat still for a day. Watching 4X2 trucks struggle/spinning getting up boat ramps while the 4X4's can drive up with no slip. The OP is gonna want 4X4 just to keep from ticking off other tradesmen while trying to get in and out of jobsites.

 

The front air dam hangs down too low on even the 4WD trucks. The owner's manual even tells you to remove those if you are going to go off road with either 2WD or 4WD trucks. I took mine off and never put it back on.

 

Huh. I missed that in the manual. Does that thing even really help much with aerodynamics and (I assume) gas savings?

 

My new 2016 is a 2 wheel drive after too many 4x4s in a row.
I prefer the 2 wheel drive.
Ford has an electric locker option now.
If you need more traction just push the button.
Most supposedly 4xr trucks only spin 1 tire at each end anyway so really are 2 wheel drive.
Get the locker option and you still have 2 wheel drive.
If you buy a set of tire chains for a sketchy winter day you will pass any 4x4 on the road who isn't chained up once the tire irons are on.
I always carry chains for bad winter roads.
Heck i would chain up on bad roads and leave it in 2hi when i had 4x4 as chains are about a zillion times better than 4x4.
Spin out in 4x4 on a steep hill and slide back into a ditch or tree....with chains you just go over the top ice be damned.
An auto parts store will sell custom sized chains and your now set.
Use the locker and if still in doubt stop and toss on a set of tire jewelry.
Its mandatory to carry chains in many areas here.
We get hellish winter roads and mountain highways that scare men to tears.
My fuel trucks (peterbilts) carry tire chains year round.
We have roads so steep the trucks are left throttle to the floor for 45 mins at a time somedays and they cannot exceed a mere 14 mph once on the climb.
I don't miss 4x4 at all amd wish i had gotten rid of it earlier.

 

I took mine off my 2015 F-150 Lariat and there was less than a .5MPG reduction in fuel economy. Even that I can't be sure of. Other variables may come into play that I haven't considered.

 

I'd look mighty silly chaining up a truck in 90° heat. I don't know of anyone that gets a 4X4 without rear lockers of some sort. Mine has..... It still won't pull this down a soft sand drive (can't get much speed squeezing through 2 gates)in 2WD...

 

With an empty bed, there is not much weight on the drive wheels, so yeah, pulling that trailer there will be traction issues on sand or soft dirt. On a 2WD with lockers and good off-road tires and decent amount of weight in the bed for traction, it would be a different story.

I have two 4WDs trucks and one 2WD truck. I've taken my 2WD truck (with limited slip) off-road in the rocky mountains with a 1600+ lb slide-in camper, gear/equipment and towing a trailer and have never gotten stuck. I don't try it in bad weather, but in dry weather, no problems. I've driven it over 2,500 miles round-trip this way several times, and I think with the amount of payload I'm hauling and towing a trailer, I'm using it as a truck and not a commuter sedan?

A lot of the people I know that own 4x4 trucks do not have rear lockers or even an LS diff. They just buy whatever is on the lot at the time that is 4x4 and priced right.

 

Thanks for all of the info guys. Much appreciated. I've done my research and I feel pretty confident in a 2wd rig. I won't be doing much, if any, commercial work so I won't be leaving the city streets too often. I only fish at the lake so there's minimal chance of getting stuck there. I have a 4x4 with limited slip diff currently and I don't offroad with it. My truck doubles as our other family vehicle and I can't chance tearing it up. Also, I noticed my 4x4 is a little stiffer and rougher riding than my friends comparable 2wd trucks. Also, my grandpa used to work construction and he only had 2wd pickups. As long as I have some sort of limited slip diff ( and chains when it's icy) I don't think I'm going to have a problem.

 

If buying two wheel drive is there a difference between electronic locking rear and limited slip rear on the current model? I always thought they were two terms for the same thing but wanted to make sure. And if they are different what is it and which do I want for hunting and fishing if buying a two wheel drive?

 

They are not the same thing. The electronic locking rear can be manually engaged by the driver so that you get equal traction to both sides. The limited slip doesn't have that capability.

 

They are pretty much the same thing, except the e-locker allows you to turn it on and off. Really the best of both worlds, because 90% of the time you want a differential. The other 10% of the time when you need a little help, you can turn on the e-locker.

Overall, less tire wear, and less drive train wear.

 

Somebody mentioned earlier that a 4 x 4 is really only two tires pulling. If you go with the E-locker AND 4 x 4 does that make all four wheels pull? Why would a 4 x 4 NOT come with an E-locker or limited slip? That makes no sense to own if I'm understanding this right.

 

Yes, there is a BIG difference. You want the limited slip.

The e-locker literally locks the rear axles together, whereas the limited slip is a clutch pack that allows relative motion between tires. Problem with the e-locker is it is not suitable for on-road driving and it is automatically disengaged at 20-some mph. That wheel speed is so low that it makes the e-locker not very useful -- especially in a 2WD truck when you're on the throttle trying to get through muddy situations. On the other hand, the limited slip is always present and has a light grab under low throttle conditions when you don't need it, and gets more aggressive under higher torque situations when you want it to grab. The limited slip is a better marriage to a 2WD. And frankly, I wish I had gotten limited slip with my 4WD truck too, instead of the e-locker. The e-locker is one of those things that seems like a great idea until you try to use it in the real world. And apparently Ford thought so too because they made a different protocol with the Raptor that keeps the e-locker engaged to much higher speed.

 

The front diff is always open and will never spin more than 1 front tire.
If you get a locker it will spin hoth rears if turned on.....limited slip in reality is usually not very good at making both rears spin, all to often it spins thenone that spins the easiest in the real world.
With a locker you can get 3 wheel drive on a so called 4x4.
Most lot order trucks in this area have an open differential rear to as they are often meant to be street only trucks, with an onroad drive train and lotsnof electronic stuff.